The year is 1938. A new U.S. law raises the minimum wage to 44 cents. Unemployment hovers around 19 percent due in part to the 1937-1938 recession. The average price of a new automobile is a cool $736 and gas costs 20 cents per gallon. A new cross-country road, Route 66, is nearing completion. American writer John Steinbeck appropriately dubs it the “Mother Road,” as it takes drivers from Chicago to Los Angles, across 2,400 miles of paved highway. Towns quickly spring up all along Route 66 and become popular tourist destinations for tired, road-weary travelers.
Fast forward 72 years. The small town of Seligman is quite a change from the usual hustle and bustle of Phoenix or Tempe. The 2000 census recorded 456 people living in the town, which seems hard to believe as the streets were devoid of people at high noon. On the left side of the street is a small gas station, and on the other side a general store, complete with uneven wood plank flooring. A gift shop attached to the store sells a plethora of Western-themed postcards and food items.
Seligman was established in the late 1800s as a busy railroad station. The population grew during the 1920s, when it became a tourist stop for Route 66 travelers. After the completion of Interstate 40 in the 1970s, under the Interstate Highway Act signed into effect by President Eisenhower, the town began its transformation into what it is today.
But wait, perhaps this story seems familiar? Hint — think “Lightning McQueen” and “Mater.” Believe it or not, the town Radiator Springs from the Disney movie “Cars” was based on Seligman. “Cars” producer John Lasseter drew his ideas from an interview he had with Angel Delgadillo, a barber, who told him that traffic through Seligman almost completely disappeared with the opening of Interstate 40, which runs parallel to Seligman.
Luckily, Seligman did not fall off the map like so many other Route 66 towns. Today, it is a popular tourist stop for those traveling along historical Route 66. Getting from ASU to Seligman takes about 3.5 hours, or 180 miles. A popular route takes travelers up Interstate 17 and eventually onto Interstate 40 through Prescott (see map).
Heather Ramirez, a Seligman resident and bookkeeper for the RoadKill Cafe, had several great suggestions for perspective visitors to Seligman. Ramirez recommends Delgadillos Snow Cap, another local restaurant and attraction, for one of their milk shakes or malts. “The guys who run it are always fooling around,” she says. “It is just a great little place to see! It has been here forever!”
Staying true to its heritage, Seligman also hosts several Historic Route 66-themed events. “Every year around the first weekend in May we start the Annual Historic Route 66 Fun Run, which goes from here to Topok Arizona,” says Ramirez. “It is the longest stretch left.” Also present are many old historical cars and even a beauty pageant.
One of the more popular restaurants in the town is the RoadKill Cafe, owned by Ramirez’s grandmother.
“The Roadkill has been in business since 1997. It has a full service bar and the atmosphere is great. People definitely want to bring a camera into our establishment as there are tons of photos ops,” she says. And with appropriately named food items such as “Fender Tenders” and the “Bad Brake Steak,” it’s a must see in Seligman.
Reach the reporter at Peter.Lazaravich@asu.edu
